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Zendesk on Zendesk: Bump Bump Solve
Zendesk on Zendesk is a day-long discussion about a specific topic and how Zendesk Support uses Zendesk. Each session is hosted by a member of our Support team.
This session is about business rules we use at Zendesk to gently remind customers about tickets, and automatically close them if the customer is ready. It's something we like to call Bump Bump Solve. This session covers:
- Overview of Bump Bump Solve and how it works
- Configuration of Bump Bump Solve so you can set it up too
- Benefits and modifications of Bump Bump Solve over time
This session is hosted by Matt M, who is a member of our Support Ops team in Melbourne.
See all of the Zendesk on Zendesk series discussions.
Part 1: Overview
At Zendesk we are always trying to think of new ways that we can make life easier for our Support Team.
Like many other support teams we love to use Zendesk, (it would be wrong if we didn't right?) so our workflow revolves around the following ticket status':
- New - untouched tickets that customers are waiting for an answer on
- Open - tickets that the customer and and advocate are actively communicating
- Pending - where the advocate is waiting for the customers response back.
- Solved - yay!
Sounds familiar I'm sure. And it works really well. Though we wanted something even better, something that would make our Advocates lives even easier.
Over the course of an advocate's day, there would usually end up being around 15-20 pending tickets in an agent's workload. If a customer does not respond after a few days the advocates would manually have to go back and prompt the customer for an answer--usually more than once. We felt this was holding the advocate back, and taking up time that could be spent with new inquiries. This generated a discussion whereby we felt that agents would start their day by going back through all the pending tickets to update them in an effort to get something back from the customer as to whether it could be solved or they needed assistance.
Naturally we turned to Zendesk for answers, and an idea was born. What if we could take all the advocates pending tickets and auto prompt the customer after a certain amount of days? What if we could actually solve those tickets if we didn't get a response back from the customer?
Enter Bump Bump Solve.
A series of automations and triggers designed to help advocates move forward. The idea was simple:
Part 2: Configuration
While the process sounds quite simple in theory, there is little more to it on the back-end. Let's take a look first at the automations, then we'll look at the triggers.
Setting up the automations
They do the heavy lifting, and are the rules that send the notification to the customer. (Note that using the tag no_bump can be used to exclude particular tickets from being bump-bump-solved.)
Depending on your Zendesk configuration and business needs, you can change the times and also change the conditions to reflect calendar hours instead of business hours.
Conditions for our first Bump Bump Solve automation:
Actions for our first Bump Bump Solve automation:
The conditions are slightly similar on our second automation, as we need to take into consideration the amount of time that has passed, and also allow for the time which the last bump happened - as this counts as a ticket update.
Conditions for our second Bump Bump Solve automation:
And our actions will also be a little different from the first automation.
Actions for our second Bump Bump Solve automation:
As you can see there are various tags being used, which will make a bit more sense when we go through the triggers. (Also, note that we used to actually bump the customer twice so the tags are bbs_1 etc. Now we've moved to just one bump, but it would be a bit weird if we used "bs" since... you know…)
This is also a fairly flexible automation, and if you have different groups that you want to add or exclude, you can do so in the ANY conditions part of the automation.
Setting up the triggers
Let's take some time now to go through triggers, which act as the engine - watching, controlling, every time a ticket is updated.
Remove BBS tags upon reassign:
This will ensure that if the ticket is transferred to another employee that the Bump Bump Solve process will restart when it gets to that agent. The idea of reassigning the ticket would suggest that some work needs to be done by someone else.
Removing tags for open tickets:
This trigger takes into consideration the customer replying. If the customer replies (depending on your business rules) it will set the ticket back to open. If this happens, we certainly don't want Bump Bump Solve to carry on, so we remove all the tags again and wait for it to go back to pending, where the automation will start the process again.
You also want to add the same actions with a different set of settings to allow for closed tickets reopening as new tickets, as they will inherit the tags from the closed ticket.
Removing tags for closed tickets:
That's really the bulk of the setup. From the screenshots, you can also see a couple of b_track tags which are used for internal reporting. Things like this are completely optional, and you can make any additions that you need. It really just shows how a basic setup would look.
Part 3: Solved :)
Originally we actually ran with Bump Bump Solve, so we would bump the customer twice, and then the third time would be the solved message. This would take about 9 business days, before the ticket was solved. With the weekends in there as well, it would be around the 2 week period before it was solved.
We decided to remove one of the bumps, and thus reduce the amount of time the ticket was sitting in a pending state. Remember though, if you use calendar hours, your bumps will be inclusive of weekends.
We like to think of Bump Solve as a win-win. It makes the advocates lives and days easier, and also, we don't have to constantly hassle the customer (or solve their ticket too early).
To give a small insight into some numbers, for Q1 this year we had over 8000 tickets that were solved by Bump Solve alone. This represents around 15-20% of ticket volumes over the course of a normal working day.
By implementing this kind of workflow, we are able to keep our advocates focused on their new and open tickets. For tickets that don't get updated, it's no longer a matter of going through a manual process. The advocates can confidently work forward, knowing that their pending tickets will take care of themselves. We found it saves the advocate a small but considerable amount of time.
Do you think this would be something that would save your team time? Let us know in the comments below.
88 Comments
That is an excellent article.
Setting the correct ticket status is an area that I see agents do very poorly. For example, I see comments like, 'Here is an update, I'll get back to you tomorrow'- status pending.
I would recommend that supervisors review pending tickets from time to time to ensure that they are truly pending so that they do not drop off the agent's radar or corrupt SLAs.
We have something like this already in place. Another trick that helps to ensure that reps don't mistakenly set the wrong status is to have macros set the status for them.
this is awesome...
i have a Diane-o-mation version of this using two macros. Basically, my first macro is "have you resolved your issue, I see you haven't responded", and then a "couple days" later as i'm reviewing my pending YET AGAIN, i have a second macro for "i see you haven't responded, so we're closing this ticket, but if you need help, simply respond and we'll continue our conversation"...or something like that.
I've been meaning to make this into an automated process but didn't have the brain power assembled until my summer down-time season.
(Diane wants MORE MORE MORE of these kinds of things!!!)
Graeme, Kraven, and Diane,
Thanks for your input and recommendations!
Matthew should be online soon to respond to comments as well. :)
@Graeme, agree! We run Insights reports on Pending tickets to make sure they don't blow out, but the majority are taken care of by the bump solve process.
@Kraven, this helps also push the ticket to work with this kind of process rather than relying on an agent to do it manually.
@Diane, some of our advocates had this setup as well, we thought it would be great to just have everyone do it, then automate it :)
Great stuff! We also do a bump-bump-solve here :)
Has this negatively impacted your SATISFACTION rate any? When the client is offered the opportunity to rate the service are you getting any negative ratings due to the automated solve or is the satisfaction offering suppressed?
@Jeremy, as an e-commerce site with a relatively high volume of customer contacts through ZD, we've found that this process has not negatively impacted our NPS scores since we implemented this over a year ago. Wording is key of course.
The timeline we utilize is as follows. An automation sends a reminder after 48 hours for Pending tickets, and Solves at 72 hours. Solved tickets send an automated survey (with a SurveyMonkey link) at 5 days, and Closes the ticket at 7 days after Solve.
We use a similar setup where we bump the customer 2x and then solve the ticket, all with automations. Works out great. To Jeremy's question, every now and again we get back a negative rating. It's rare though and is just as common as it was with a manual process.
Thanks @Kraven @Nicholas - now I just need to teach my agents not to use it as a burial ground for unwanted tickets that they are avoiding responding to
:- )
Jeremy, this has impacted our satisfaction a bit, yes. We solved it by setting two different automations for Satisfaction requests.
For regular solves, we send the regular stuff. "Hey, did you like it? We'd love to know!" or something.
For bump solves, we send something around "Hi! Your ticket was automatically set to solved because we didn't hear from you. Not satisfied? Please reply to this email and we'll keep talking until you're happy!"
Of course there are always those unhappy people who just tap "I hate you" and forget to read it, but this has reduced the practice almost completely. I feel that most people don't know exactly what to do and feel left out so that's why we came up with this.
We're a little new to zendesk so this is exactly the type of thing we're excited about.
The one thing I'm not sure works so well is the lack of "Ticket: Comment" as an action in the automation or otherwise. I would much prefer to comment within the actual ticket rather than sending a new email, which would result in a new ticket if the customer replies. I think most of our customers would simply reply to the email rather than clicking on the ticket link, even if we asked them to.
We'd then need to make sure we're looking out for this and merge the tickets, which seems like a hassle. Would this be the case, or am I understanding the process wrong?
@Joe, for the automation, you can use the Notifications: Email user option, and it will automatically select "requester" in the adjacent field that will appear.
This would count as an update to the existing ticket, so that if the end user replies, it will just add on the reply to the existing ticket as well.
I love this implementation, so thank you for sharing this with us, Matt.
I am very interested to know how you handle out-of-office responses with these automations. I know they end up in 'Suspended Tickets', but if you are aware a customer is out of the office for longer than the automation kicks in, how do you deal with this - do you add the tag to prevent the automation from taking place and remove it when they are back?
@Joe If they reply to that email it will update the same ticket so don't worry about it! The same happens for Satisfaction rating request emails.
@Jonathan I don't think Zendesk has any kind of auto-processing for suspended tickets, but nevertheless the customer can always reply back and reopen the ticket when s/he gets back.
I don't have the ticket status Hours Since Pending or Hours Since Update. Do I need to update or is this my plan?
To all,
Great stuff!
I set my Triggers and Automations (similar process to the above) about 10 months ago due to the large amount of pending tickets we had at level 1 Support. Since introduced, it's certainly speeded things up. Works 100%.
*My only addition was some extra views for level 1 support.
Example: When the agent applies a macro (e.g 'B') the ticket goes into the holding pen (A) until 72hrs comes around... (escalates to 'C') and so on. The final macro (D) notifies the end-user that the ticket will considered closed within 24 hours. This is done automatically.
(A) All CSC Pending tickets 21
(B) Pending tickets - Over 2 days (48hrs) 7
(C) Pending tickets - Over 3 days (72hrs) 10
(D) Pending tickets - Over 5 days (120hrs) 4
To manage pending tickets, our agents only refer to views B, C, and D.
Hope this helps?
I have been trying to do something like this for quite some time. I followed all the steps listed above yet after the specified amount of hours the tags get removed but an email message is not sent to the client. Any suggestions?
Hi Andrew!
The notification should be going out as part of the automation that adds the tags...can you tell me the names of your automations so I can hop into your account and take a peek?
Notifications seem to be going out based on the automations I mirrored from this article. Analysts have mentioned that they have gotten responses from customers referencing a "bump bump" email but there is no copy of the email logged in the ticket? Is there a step that maybe I missed that would add this to the ticket notes?
@Chris yes, there is a copy! You can click on "View all events" to track all triggers and automations that worked on a ticket, and from there you can see all notifications the users received. You can find the email under the automation that popped it.
I'm just about to implement this on our account, but we have a few custom fields that we require to be filled in before a ticket can be solved but not before pending. Would the automation still set the tickets to solved without those fields?
If not, any suggestions for the best way to handle this?
I'm thinking that if the fields weren't filled out it could reopen but keep the bbs etc tags so that the agent can make the selection from the fields and then solve the ticket without interrupting the flow too much.
Matthew, the answer is yes, setting a field with business rules will ignore dependencies except for permissions. So the ticket will be marked as solved.
What I do is to run another rule ahead of this one that will invalidate the conditions of the solving rule if my dependencies are not met. For example i have an automation that sets the ticket as solved after being pending for x days. I have two variations of this automation, one that tests for a field being blank and the other does not have this test. In the first I do not set the status to solved but instead send an email to the agent.
We have additional automations set up (such as if ticket has been going on for X days, notify manager) that are interfering with the 'Bump Bump Solve' automation as Zendesk seems to classify other automations as an update to the ticket.
What would be a suitable workaround? Am I right in thinking that "Ticket: Hours since update" includes automations?
Jonathan J
You also have under the ALL Conditions, 'hours since requester update' and 'hours since assignee update'. You may be able to use these as conditions to identify how long before a human has touched a ticket.
@Graeme, a good suggestion, thanks! The only problem I would face then is that if I want to identify how long before a human has touched a ticket using this method, it would have to be under the 'Meet any of the conditions' (so that it is either the assignee OR requester instead of meeting both conditions) where you cannot select this condition unfortunately.
I think for this to work with the current controls Zendesk offers, I would have to prevent any automations from running in between a ticket being on pending and the Bump 1/2 automations.
Jonathan J
This is tricky.
If we assume that agents and customers are both humans, then to identify tickets that have not been touched by either, both conditions need to be in the ALL section.
For example, if an agent has not touched the ticket for 11 hours and the requester not touched it for 1 hour, then the condition in the ALL section would be:
- Hours since requester update > 10 (comes out false)
- Hours since assignee update > 10 (comes out true)
So this evaluates to FALSE as a customer has touched the ticket. Only when both have not touched the ticket for 11 hours does it become true. The conditions are effectively asking if the ticket is untouched by a human. Consequently, the customer asking for an update every hour will stop this automation from firing.
If your main concern is agents not touching the ticket for 10 hours, then drop the requester condition.
If you really want an OR condition, then use 2 automations. One to test for the requester update and one for the assignee update. If you test for requester update first, include a tag to stop the assignee automation from firing too.
First off I want to say I love this. I noticed this when submitting Zendesk Tickets, and it instantly went on my todo list. We spend way too much time tracking down customers so this was a great addition for us.
I see this was partially talked about, but from a different standpoint. Is there a way to get the bump bump solve notifications to appear as comments on the ticket. My agents at first were not sure if it was working correctly as they were not able to visibly see the emails had gone out. For now I have them click on "show all events", but it would be ideal if the email could translate into some sort of comment whether it be public or private, just to let them know it has triggered without taking the extra steps.
Hi Ken!
There isn't a way to add a comment to a ticket using a trigger, but there are a couple other options you could use to make that information more easily visible.
The first option is to direct your agents to look for the tags that are set each time the BBS triggers fire; when I was a Tier 1 Advocate, this was my prefered way to identify BBS tickets.
The other option would be to include some custom fields (such as checkbox fields) that would be populated for each BBS notification that's sent. Those fields would appear in the sidebar of the ticket with your other fields, and your agents could tell at a glance which (if any) BBS notifications have been sent. This might be useful if your tickets tend to have lots of tags on them.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
This solution works nicely, except if we have 1 step between two bumps. We want to reopen a ticket for an agent to call, then continue with the process. This isn't working well with the trigger that removes tags associated with this setup. Any experience with this? We can have agents managing tags manually at the end, but we would like to automatize.
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- Departments
- Health Department
- Programs & Services
- Public Health Promotion & Prevention
- Recovery Oriented Systems of Care
Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC)
Berrien County, like many other communities across the nation, is in the midst of undergoing a substance use disorder (SUD) service system transformation and moving toward a Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC). The term Recovery Oriented System of Care reflects how services are both devised and implemented to promote long-term recovery, while including recovery individuals at the center of the planning process. A ROSC supports an individual's journey toward recovery and wellness by providing ongoing support and multiple coordinated strategies to assist the individual in sustaining their recovery and rebuilding their life in the community. ROSC places great emphasis on prevention services, personal and community health and wellness, and inclusion of recovering people to be system-change advisors, planners, and service-delivery specialists.
ROSC in Berrien County
Berrien County envisions a Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC) that supports an individual's journey toward recovery and wellness by creating and sustaining networks of formal and informal services and supports. The opportunities established through collaboration, partnership, and a broad array of services will promote life enhancing recovery and wellness for individuals, families, and communities throughout Berrien County.
The Berrien County Health Department along with many other Berrien County organizations and stakeholders are working towards creating a ROSC with greater emphasis on continuity of care, effective prevention at all ages, outreach and engagement, treatment, and on-going support for the recovery community. This group of leaders and community members are addressing the existing gaps in the network of recovery services, ensuring a wider range of available recovery supports, and fostering a culture of recovery, wellness, and improved quality of life.
Get Involved
ROSC effects everyone in Berrien County - help us create a healthier community by getting involved! Everyone can help knock down barriers by reducing the stigma of substance use disorders. If you are interested in participating in ROSC meetings or learning more about the efforts, please contact Elvin Gonzalez via email.

subset: commoncrawl


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New Car/Review
By Matt/Bob Hagin
SPECIFICATIONS Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price $ 34,950 Price As Tested $ 41,115 Engine Type SOHC 18-valve 3.2 Liter V6 w/SFI* Engine Size 195 cid/3199 cc Horsepower 215 @ 5500 RPM Torque (lb-ft) 233 @ 3000 RPM Wheelbase/Width/Length 111.0"/72.2"/180.6" Transmission Five-speed automatic Curb Weight 4407 pounds Fuel Capacity 19.0 gallons Tires (F/R) 255/65R16 M&S Brakes (F/R) Disc (ABS)/disc (ABS) Drive Train Front-engine/all-wheel-drive Vehicle Type Five-passenger/five-door Domestic Content N/A Coefficient of Drag (Cd.) 0.39 PERFORMANCE EPA Economy, miles per gallon city/highway/average 17/21/19 0-60 MPH 8.5 seconds Maximum towing capacity 5000 pounds Top speed (governed) 112 mph * Sequential fuel injection
(Bob Hagin says that when Mercedes-Benz got into the sport/utility vehicle business, it researched the segment scientifically. Matt Hagin is happy the company didn't let science get in the way of making a great vehicle.)
BOB - Before they made the ML-Class SUV, Mercedes' folks wanted to cover as many bases as possible. They knew that the customer base for their off-road vehicle would be affluent and upscale, but not the kind that would use it to scale rocky peaks or slosh their way through steaming swamps. They therefore built the ML320 to provide typical Mercedes feel and comfort plus styling that would make it instantly recognizable in a country-club parking lot or a Colorado ski resort. That's why the forward-sloping nose and wide, tapering grille are used not only on the sedans and coupes, but on the SUV as well.
MATT - They were also pretty practical in the bits and pieces department, too, Dad. The engine is essentially the same 3.2 liter, 18- valve V6 engine found under the hood of the E320 sedan, but re-tuned to develop slightly less horsepower and slightly more torque at lower RPMs. This gives the off-roader just a little more pulling power than the E320. The engine is a V6 which is the same as last year, Dad. It also uses the same gear ratios in the five-speed automatic transmission as in the E320 sedan, but in keeping with the rough-duty potential of a sport/utility vehicle, the SUV has an transfer case that can drop the transmission into a low range if the driver needs more pulling power. A stick-shift isn't offered on the ML320.
BOB - And in case the going really get touchy on gravel-covered or slippery roads, it now carries what the company calls its Electronic Stability Program, a system that senses skidding or sliding. If the driver starts to slide sideways, the system delivers braking to the wheels that need help. It's tied into the anti-lock braking system and it all happens automatically, of course. I'm told that it's a seamless action that's almost unnoticeable. The ML320 uses a full-time four-wheel-drive system that doesn't require any driver input to engage. The system has been standard stuff on the big V12-powered Mercedes sedans and sports cars for a while, but now it's filtered down to the cheaper cars in the lineup.
MATT - Dad, I don't think that it's really the right choice of words to refer to any Mercedes as "cheap." Some are just less expensive than others. The ML320 seats five comfortably, and has lots of cargo space. >From the outside it doesn't appear to be all that big, but looks are deceiving and it has a lot of interior cargo space. That space is accessed through a user-friendly fifth door at the tail. Underneath is a no-kidding truck-type chassis, but the company added fully independent suspension, which means when it does have to go off-road, the wheels will almost always be in contact with the ground. Other SUVs that utilize a separate frame use solid axles in back which lowers their road clearance in the rear. One thing I did notice and liked a lot was its turning circle; it's very tight at only 37 feet full circle, which make maneuverability very good for any car, let alone an SUV. And since you sit high in the saddle and get a great birds-eye view, urban ML320 pilots will be able to see those elusive parking spots more easily.
BOB - And if the family starts to grow, a Mercedes dealer can install a third seat in back. That's supposed to provide room for three more adults, but three across in the back row is a tight squeeze. Entry into that third seat by anyone other than kids requires considerable agility, to say the least. I think the ML320 is an ideal vehicle for a family that's into outdoor recreation like skiing or boating. Too bad we won't get this rig this coming summer. You and Tom would have been able to use it to pull his water ski boat to the river.
MATT - Have you seen Tom's old boat lately? The paint job's pretty nasty. If we used the Benz SUV for towing it, we'd have to take the back roads out of sheer embarrassment.
BOB - You know me, Matt, nothing embarrass me.


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How Far Will You Go To Save Someone You Love?
Experience a gripping psychological thriller filled with innumerable twists and turns. Spanning four days of mystery and suspense, the hunt is on for a murderer known only as the Origami Killer - named after his macabre calling card of leaving behind folded paper shapes at crime scenes. Four characters, each following their own leads and with their own motives, must take part in a desperate attempt to prevent the killer from claiming a new victim.
You need to think fast and act even faster, as every choice and move you make can result in dramatic, game-changing consequences – and even determine who lives… and who dies.
How this story ends is entirely up to you.
Enter your date of birth.


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The New World: Appreciation Index
Sunday, 17 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus
The UK premier of Torchwood: The New World had an Appreciation Index score of 85.
The Appreciation Index or AI score measures how much the audience enjoyed the programme. The scores are based on the comments of a panel of around 5,000 people who rate and comment on programmes.
A score of 85 is regarded as excellent.


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MODEL KAOS are Kai Vincenz Iggi Nemeth (vocals), K.G. (drums, programming).
MODEL KAOS have a sound which has been described as dark electro gothic. Its roots can be found in dark wave, gothic und EBM of the 80s as well as in today's future pop. The bands live show is a combination of dark lights, fog and its signature dark electro gothic sound.
MODEL KAOS released their first album "Ghost Market" in May 2012. The album received great recognitions by radio stations, podcasts und DJs all over the world. It reached No. 8 of the Deutsche Alternative Charts and No. 7 of the 2012 charts of Dark Horizons Radio. The album was followed up by the singles "If This Is Heaven" (2012), "Dreams" and "The Fire" (2013) and the EP "Fire + Ice" (2014). In July 2014 MODEL KAOS released their second full album "Phoenix", that rose up to No. 3 of the Deutsche Alternative Charts.
MODEL KAOS are now writing new songs and preparing for their upcoming live shows.
Kai Vincenz Iggi Nemeth – vocals, lyrics, visual kaos
K.G. – composer, programming, production, live drums


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- Story by Erin McPhee Photography by Don Denton
Story courtesy of Boulevard Magazine, a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on Facebook and follow them on Instagram
Lynn Tetarenko knew she had to challenge herself.
Looking back on her exciting life to date, both personally and professionally, she took stock of the physical and emotional hurdles she overcame, the highs and lows she experienced, her love for adventure, and her willingness to take risks as well as make choices that have set her life in entirely new directions.
Considering her unconventional journey, she decided it was time to take a moment and go back to where it all began.
Lynn recently travelled to Mérida, Mexico, celebrating the 30-year anniversary of her first visit, a year-long Rotary International high school exchange. She was intent on returning to the place where her wanderlust began. Only 18 at the time and unable to speak the language, Lynn was firmly pushed outside her comfort zone.
During her recent two-week visit, to once again study Spanish, and again as a solo traveller, Lynn reflected on how that early experience was very much the catalyst for all the things she has felt brave enough to undertake since.
For example, Lynn left behind a promising career in finance to work in sponsorship and marketing for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. She and her husband, Kevin, spent a week climbing to the summit of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro to honour the memory of her father, raising more than $30,000 for the Alzheimer's Society of BC. She has travelled, mainly on her own, to more than 30 countries, everywhere from Egypt to Iceland. And, she spent four years working abroad in London.
Currently assistant vice-president of wealth management at Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union, the steps the 48-year-old Happy Valley resident has taken to get there have by no means been linear. But she wouldn't have had it any other way. In fact, it's the sort of advice she enthusiastically imparts.
"If you're closed off, you could miss so much living and so many experiences that are going to make you who you are five years, 50 years from now," she says.
Born in Powell River, the youngest of three girls, Lynn spent the bulk of her childhood in Port Alberni.
"I just sort of found my way. We were a very, very tight-knit family and there was just always that sense of support," she says.
After her year in Mexico, Lynn spent 11 years in Victoria, a place she visited often as a child, since her grandparents lived in Oak Bay. She studied finance and business administration at Camosun College, and took a job in wealth management.
After eight years in the workforce, she experienced an early midlife crisis of sorts. Deciding she wasn't interested in pursuing such a straightforward path for the next 25 years, she decided to get an ancestry visa and move to the United Kingdom by herself.
"I literally sold my house and put everything into storage and left my job — where I had been put on a career fast-track — and moved to London," she says.
While she found a great job at a large bank and her plan was to stay long term, four years in, the course of her life changed once again.
"Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's so that's when I returned to Canada," she says.
Lynn settled in Vancouver, frequently visiting the island and spending time with her parents. Rather than continue on in the finance world, she decided to embark on a new career and took a job with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"That was one of my big left turns in career because I decided I wanted to do something other than finance," she says.
Lynn spent the next five years with Vancouver 2010, which she describes as "possibly the best five years of my life."
"It really was amazing. I was blessed enough to go to both the opening and the closing ceremonies. Sitting there and seeing what all of us had created collectively, it wasn't about what one person did here or there, it was that team approach. It was the relationships that were built. And I think almost as soon as the closing ceremonies started, I was in tears," she adds.
Sadly, Lynn's father passed away just after the Games ended, in June 2010. She spent the next eight weeks at their family's long-held Sproat Lake property, supporting her mother, who last year succumbed to dementia as well.
"It was during those eight weeks that I met my husband," she says. "Our parents knew each other. We had property in the same area. Thirty-one years after being up there, our paths crossed literally on the beach."
Prior to meeting Kevin, Lynn had been planning to return to the UK, interviewing for the London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games
"And then I met my husband," she laughs. "And I thought, you know, I think this is something worth hitting pause on my Olympic career."
Lynn and Kevin married soon after and will be celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary this year.
The couple spent seven years in Chemainus, where Lynn happily re-entered the finance world, joining the team at Island Savings.
"It inspires me seeing how much they care and the level of skill and expertise they bring every day to help people understand their financial picture, and [enabling them] to make educated choices to improve their lives," she says of her co-workers.
A year ago, Lynn and Kevin relocated to the West Shore. They're gearing up for a fun summer at their recreational property on Sproat Lake, glamping in their RV — equipped with an espresso machine and wine fridge — and hosting friends and family for camping weekends.
Lynn has surprised herself many times over with her life choices, and the path she has ultimately taken is not one she could have foreseen.
"It hasn't felt like I've zig-zagged," she says. "It's just felt like it's been right. I've made choices sometimes that have scared me, sometimes that have been unknown, and I try and encourage people to do the same."


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The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation
In a revelation bound to cast a pall over the 9/11 Commission, Philip Shenon will report in a forthcoming book that the panel's executive director, Philip Zelikow, engaged in "surreptitious" communications with presidential adviser Karl Rove and other Bush administration officials during the commission's 20-month investigation into the 9/11 attacks.
Shenon, who led The New York Times' coverage of the 9/11 panel, reveals the Zelikow-Rove connection in a new book entitled The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation, to be published next month by TWELVE books. The Commission is under an embargo until its February 5 publication, but Washington DeCoded managed to purchase a copy of the abridged audio version from a New York bookstore.
In what's termed an "investigation of the investigation," Shenon purports to tell the story of the commission from start to finish. The book's critical revelations, however, revolve almost entirely around the figure of Philip Zelikow, a University of Virginia professor and director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs prior to his service as the commission's executive director. Shenon delivers a blistering account of Zelikow's role and leadership, and an implicit criticism of the commissioners for appointing Zelikow in the first place—and then allowing him to stay on after his myriad conflicts-of-interest were revealed under oath. [complete article]


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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
19 comments:
- Bill said...
Isn't the big drop in home sales a sign that people are still worried about layoffs or a double-dip?
- August 24, 2010 at 1:33 PM
- John said...
People are certainly worried about a double dip and more layoffs. But I don't think that is why the housing number was down. Our government meddled with housing demand by offering tax credits for certain buyers. Just like "zero percent financing and cash back" down at yor local car dealer, sales were pulled forward. The number reflects the expiration of the tax credits and the results were predictable. The bears pounced on the number saying the economy is rolling over. Now it does appear the economy has slowed down a bit but Scott has frequently said recoveries can be uneven. And our government meddling doesn't help the process.
Give this a few more months and average the numbers out and you'll have a much clearer picture of home sales than jumping to conclusions over one skewed number. - August 24, 2010 at 1:49 PM
- Bill said...
Boy, this is really starting to feel like the late '70s. How long before Obama gives us a "malaise" speech?
- August 24, 2010 at 2:15 PM
- Bob said...
He's busy, on vacation. ;(
Bob - August 24, 2010 at 2:37 PM
- John said...
Remember we are in an electon season. There are many, many vested interests in convincing the public the economy is bad. For many, the worse the better. There is a constant drumbeat of criticism of the current government and how terrible things are. Its easy for the bears to piggyback on the negativity with their own rhyming themes of gloom. Always remember the media must get eyeballs every day and bad news does it best. - August 24, 2010 at 2:40 PM
- Public Library said...
Isn't the market supposed to climb the wall of worry? where is that mantra now? - August 24, 2010 at 4:20 PM
- John said...
The correction that began in May is still with us. Personally I do not believe it is justified but pessimism is rampant (fed by political rhetoric). Values are quite good and competition for money is virtually nonexistant.
I look at individual companies, gague their outlooks (like Exxon) and compare it to the gloom pervading our markets and come away with a disconnect that is palpable.
Markets can be this way from time to time. Keynes famously said, "markets can stay irrational longer than (you) can stay solvent". I continue to believe this market is highly irrational. My challenge (and that of other bulls) is to stay solvent until rationality prevails.
As I said in another thread, I believe the election will result in a significant shift in market sentiment. Like Scott, I sense a sea change in the average American's perception of this government and its policies. It will very likely result in at least a temporary wave of optimism and excitement. We will see how long it lasts.
I appreciate your recent specific suggestion of the VXX as a way to engage the economic changes we face. It is not my choice but I wish you luck with it. - August 24, 2010 at 4:43 PM
- marmico said...
where is that mantra now?
The Hindenburg Omen is confirmed. Jane Chardonnay and JoeSixPack have been rushing the exit doors. The ICI says that Domestic Equity net cash flows have been negative for 4 months. I guess they concluded no mas after the May flash crash and now burning zeppelins. - August 24, 2010 at 5:09 PM
- Mark Gerber said...
marmico: Interesting reference to the Hindenburg Omen. I've heard that term mentioned a couple of times, but just used your link to get the definition for the first time. The irony is that I logged on here to share a new perspective on why I think the bulls are wrong, and I would summarize my explanation as the bulls are suffering from a well known human trait generally called Cognitive Dissonance: simultaneously maintaining beliefs in inconsistent ideas. After reading the definition of the Hindenburg Omen, I realized that's exactly what the omen picks up via wildly inconsistent market indicators (large number of new highs and new los simultaneously).
The dissonance I have been observing is based on qualitative observations such as:
1) The USA has been fiscally irresponsible for at least a decade, possibly two, and it's only getting worse; yet, people are sure we'll get a fiscally responsible government any day now.
2) The federal reserve has made it clear that they will do everything they can to stop deflation, they have almost unlimited powers to do so, and they have shown NO ability to get ahead bubbles (and actually feed them), yet long bonds are trading at levels consistent with persistent deflation.
3) Almost everyone consistently describes and explains the 2007/8 economic shock as if it was a cause, or rooted in a 2005-2007 housing bubble, of the shock instead of considering the large body of evidence that this so-called cause was actually a symptom of an underlying structural change (largely the result of demographics changes in my opinion, but I would also point to technology and world trade) in our economy and that of the world.
4) We're America and we have a history of solving big problems, so we'll solve this one without much economic pain; yet, America already has had several extended periods of economic pain with the most extreme probably being the great depression. At that time, we also defaulted on dollar debt when by fiat Roosevelt cut its value in half over night (against gold, the standard at the time). Sure we got over it, won WWII, and went on to improve our lives on those of many others around the world, but that took over a decade (that is, for those who didn't get killed in the war)!
Well, those are few of my examples of cognitive dissonance. We're in a dynamic situation, and it requires dynamic thinking which is difficult for us humans who are the product, of our experiences.
Another analogy that comes to mind is that over the past two or three decades, economic forecasting was like looking projecting what might happen next in a checker game, but now it's more like a chess game, probably a three dimensional chess game given it's no longer good enough to just focus on our country as the world economy is now much more interdependent.
Mark - August 25, 2010 at 7:34 AM
- McKibbinUSA said...
I very much enjoy Scott's optimism, but in this instance, the preponderence of evidence indicates a double-dip is already here. Witness the continuing decline in employment levels in the US as a percentage of the population, and the continuing declines in home sales for example. However, I believe this double-dip is already priced into the markets, and saavy investors should be loading up on cheap equities, and particularly on "hard asset" equities. Also, technology stocks are likely to rebound quickly, so keep an eye on the NASDAQ. Single-family dwellings, business properties, and even labor are abundant and cheap these days. Staying in cash will prove costly after the inflation arrives in the next few years. What is crucial is that we prepare for the inflation and act now to what will likely be a sudden and sharp decline in the value of the dollar sometime during the next few years, or even the coming months. Inflation is the problem and inflation is imminent -- betting on deflation is "fool's gold" in my view. But yes, the double-dip is here and real, and we should all be taking advantage of the opportunities around us. In the meantime, I weep for the unemployed and especially those without skills -- I hurt for those who are suffering, including their families, some of whom I know. Compassion and help for the deserving should also be on our agendas. As always, thank you for the opportunity to comment...
- August 25, 2010 at 8:41 AM
- brodero said...
It is a large function of the savings rate...we were 2% at the start of the recession and we are
at 6.2% today. The savings rate
averaged 7.5% over the 1980 to 1995
period....each 1% increase in savings reduces consumption by 110 billion....the 400 to 500 billion
in increased savings corresponds with the drop in employment....since GDP per employee is around 100,000 per employee - August 25, 2010 at 8:42 AM
- McKibbinUSA said...
PS: Here is what I see coming:
The coming inflation will be very real... - August 25, 2010 at 8:46 AM
- Scott Grannis said...
brodero: you're falling into a Keynesian trap. Savings is not necessarily a negative for growth. The money saved by one person must be spent by another. A rise in the savings rate is indicative of a shift in the economy's pattern of consumption, not a decline in consumption.
- August 25, 2010 at 8:48 AM
- brodero said...
I agree Scott...Savings is a good thing..just trying to explain why things are going so slow for the time being,,,
- August 25, 2010 at 9:00 AM
- Mark Gerber said...
Dr. McKibbin: Since you and I appear to be of like mind, I'm wondering why you favor investing in equities over precious metals? Don't get me wrong, I think the S&P 500 fair value right now is about 1100, and gold is probably around 20% overvalued here. But given we agree higher or run-away inflation will occur in the near future, won't the dollars that flow out of "fools gold" (dollar denominated bonds and cash) push up real gold prices more (and sooner) than stock prices?
Isn't this especially true give persistently higher inflation will lead to higher interest rates and an ultimate default on the debt by the USA, which will weigh on stocks more (and sooner) than precious metals?
Thanks for sharing your thought here. - August 25, 2010 at 9:38 AM
- Daniel said...
Good article from the CEO of Intel.
Touches on a lot of things that are mentioned in these comments. - August 25, 2010 at 9:45 AM
- Scott Grannis said...
Mark: There's a school of thought (chief proponent being Cliff Asness) that says that inflation should not be a problem for equities. On the one hand, high inflation raises the level of future cash flows. On the other hand, those higher future cash flows are discounted by higher interest rates. Result = a wash.
At some point, though, higher inflation is sure to be bad for equities, since it is very likely to lead to very tight monetary policy, which in turn is bound to lead to a recession. - August 25, 2010 at 9:56 AM
- McKibbinUSA said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- August 26, 2010 at 6:14 AM
- McKibbinUSA said...
Mark, quality equities are a well-established hedge against inflation, assuming that the equities are not highly leveraged. The literature in support of this claim is robust.
Regarding gold, I too have an interest in gold. But, no one should take the view that gold is somehow a better investment than a high quality stock or real estate holding. The reason is that equities and real estate collect rents and earn profits, which are then paid to the owners (and I am talking about value-investing in this market rather than growth, which is another subject for sure). Gold does not earn interest or rents, so the comparison is mute. Moreover, gold is subject to being politicized via public acquisition and price-setting (as in the 1930's), so I would not engage in positions in gold of greater than 5% of holdings (and even that would be high). Consider my technical analysis of gold prices at:
Unload variable debt that cannot be sustained via earnings (or reliable employment) and get your cash converted into very high quality stocks and real estate while the prices are low (and they are very low right now).
Eventually, I may change my views should treasuries start paying interest again, and I would not rule out 10-12% treasuries in the future, but we are not there yet. Note to that buying treasuring at current yields will only lose value in principal should interest rates increase (which is counter-intuitive, but true). So, you cannot buy bonds and home for growth the same way as in stocks or real estate. However, should treasuries rise to 10-12% rates, then I would buy in with gusto and fearlessly once those levels are reached. I might even hazard international diversification in bonds should rates go double-digit, as a hedge against sovereign risks. But again, treasuries now are horrible investments and will suffer declining yields as rates on new auctions of treasuries rise.
In summary, go for the highest quality equities and keep an eye on bonds, but get out of cash now before the inflation kicks in . And again, make certain that your leverage is funded by reliable income streams (or reliable employment) or get rid of the debt immediately.
My worry is long-term inflation, not short-term deflation. Hope this helps... - August 26, 2010 at 6:15 AM


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Not much of a genealogy day, but I sure had lots of fun.
* Got the grandgirls fed and dressed and entertained, and managed to read email and blogs before I had to leave. Noted that 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps Online at NARA Website.
* Linda took the girls to a friend's pool to swim, and I left at 9:15 for the OASIS class in Mission Valley. Everyone showed up and were pretty enthusiastic, although not everyone did their homework. Got through demo of RootsMagic data entry and the LearnWebSkills.com site demonstrations and practice. Talk too much, and they had too many questions.
* Stopped off at McDonalds for lunch on the way home and home by 1:30 p.m. to find Audrey down for her nap and Lolo watching TV. Quickly read everything, and posted FamilySearch Collection Navigation Hints.
* Audrey up while I was trying to nap, and we all went outside at 4:30 to work (me) or play (the girls) in the front yard. I trimmed rose bushes and weeded the beds, they ran around burning energy.
* Dinner at 5:30 at home, then back outside for more work and play. Finally in at 7 for dessert and TV, and then bath and bed. Lolo went easily, Audrey is still chattering away at 10 p.m.
* Online finally to read, add to the Best Of post, write a post for Tuesday, and write this post.
Genealogy today was maybe 4.0 hours at most.
Tomorrow is Sea World...


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Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger recalled to fix electric problem
Mon, 07 May 2012
Chrysler is recalling almost 120,000 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years to fix an electrical-system problem.
The problem is with a fuse in the power-distribution center, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If the power center overheats it could lead to a loss of antilock brakes and electronic stability control, which could lead to a crash.
Chrysler will notify dealers and owners this month and begin scheduling repairs. The dealer will relocate the ABS/ESC system fuse free of charge.
Owners can contact Chrysler for more information at (800) 247-9753, or NHTSA at www.safercar.gov or (888) 327-4236.
By Jake Lingeman


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Advanced Search
A team of researchers at North Carolina State University has created a suite of tools that it's selling to help teachers implement "safe" Web 2.0 environments in the classroom. Lodge McCammon and his team at NC State's Friday Institute for Educational Innovation have developed FIZZ, which is being used in 35 K-12 schools over seven North Carolina counties. The tools give teachers a private YouTube-like site for each school. Through the FIZZ Web site, teaching, and learning outcomes can be broadcast over the Internet to increase student engagement and achievement, while still allowing school administrators to control the Web site's content.
"There have been discussions about this for years now," said McCammon, specialist of curriculum and contemporary media at NC State. "A group of teachers and administrators sit around and talk about how to use these digital tools as a teaching device, but most get so frustrated with its limitations, such as lack of security and ample inappropriate content, that they end up tabling the discussion... over and over."
According to McCammon, with FIZZ teachers can film students in the classroom reciting poetry or they can work on a music video teaching a physics concept, and put it on the school's private FIZZ site where students can go look at it from home--and show their classmates and family. "People love looking at themselves in pictures and on film," he said. "With FIZZ, students go home and watch these educational videos of themselves, their teachers, and friends over and over, therefore reinforcing educational material in a way that engages them."
The FIZZ environment consists of two Flip video cameras, a custom video sharing site, 20 preinstalled blogs, and a day of training for two teachers. Pricing starts at $1,500 if training is done at The Friday Institute. The cost is $2,000 for on-site training. Shortly, said McCammon, the institute will be launching a contest for North Carolina schools, based on curriculum songs he has created that can be downloaded free from his blog, where participants will be able to win FIZZ packages.
Jamie Hall, a math and science teacher at Centennial Campus Middle School in Raleigh, has seen the impact on his students. "My students really enjoy using FIZZ and being able to make their own videos and work with classmates to make videos for our school's FIZZ site," he said. "Parents enjoy it too. It gives them a window into their child's world--they get to see what their kids work on at school, and their kids are proud to show it to them."
Helping students solve math problems or learn Civil War facts is an important part of this program, explained McCammon. But there's another component--teaching students appropriate ways to use Web tools.
"Students are getting mixed messages about how to use sites like Facebook and YouTube. At their schools, these sites are banned, giving students the impression that the sites are inappropriate," said McCammon. "But then they go home and their parents tell them they can use the sites, but maybe for only 30 minutes a day. No one is really giving them guidance on how to use these tools in an appropriate manner. They don't fully realize that once they put content online, it is out there forever and they can't take it back."
McCammon said he hopes using FIZZ will teach children how to use Web 2.0 tools in a productive and appropriate manner.
"Facebook and YouTube aren't going away. If anything, more and more sites like these will be popping up," said McCammon. "If we can work with students at a young age, to teach them how to use these great, informational tools in an appropriate way, then we're doing an even better job of preparing them for living and working in the 21st century."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.
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Many K-12 schools struggle with insufficient time, resources, and expertise when mapping out their cybersecurity program. Threat actors make the most of these challenges by targeting K-12 organizations with ransomware and other cyber threats. Read more...
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Once again I will be venturing forth in the first week of the new year in order to try and wrap my head around the largest consumer electronics convention in the world: CES 2104. Last year I tried a sort of crowd-funded coverage model, but this year I was approached by American Libraries to cover it for them! That means this year you'll be getting my take on the newest tech over at the American Libraries Scoop blog, as well as here on Pattern Recognition. For anything that I think is of interest to libraries, I'll be doing some video, photos, and write ups over on The Scoop, and then general tech stuff will be folded in here at PatRec. I'll do some cross-linking so that people don't miss anything, though. If you'd like to see the sort of coverage I've done in the past, you can take a look at the archives.
Here's the bit where you can help! If you have any particular tech you'd like me to take a special look at, or company that you'd like some more info about…really, anything you'd like to know more about, let me know! You can leave a comment here on the post, or follow me on Twitter (@griffey) and let me know there. I'll be tweeting pretty aggressively from CES, so it'll be easy to follow along with what I'm seeing.
Let me know what you'd like to hear about, and I'll do my best to find some information and share it.


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Colony Island
Colony Island is an island in Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV. The island is officially part of the borough of Algonquin and is situated on the Humboldt River between Algonquin and Broker. Unlike Charge Island to the north, Colony Island has a residential area and access to public transport, presumably due to its proximity and direct connection with Algonquin.
Character and influences
The Algonquin Bridge passes over the northern portion of the island, serving as an unofficial demarcation between the residential project to the south, and the cemetery at the northern end featured in "Undertaker" (depending on player choice). A large industrial park spans almost the entire eastern perimeter of the island, and a waterfront promenade runs along the western face, offering great views of the Algonquin skyline to the west. The southern end of the island is taken up by an abandoned hospital prominently featured during "The Snow Storm". A lighthouse is also situated on the northern tip of the island, accessible through the cemetery.
In GTA Chinatown Wars, Colony Island is modified to appear bisected by the Algonquin Bridge. As a result, only the southern half of the island is accessible from Algonquin, while the northern half containing the cemetery and lighthouse (where HoboTron takes place) is only reachable via boat.
Colony Island is analogous to New York City's Roosevelt Island. Both islands are located in the center of a major river separating two boroughs of the city; the Algonquin Bridge, like the Queensboro Bridge, passes over the island. The island's abandoned hospital is akin to the abandoned Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island; likewise, the lighthouse on the northern end is a replication of the Blackwell Island Light, also located at a similar position on Roosevelt Island. Colony Island's name is also similar to real-life New York City's Coney Island, and as such may be a derivative of it.
The Liberty Transport Authority operates a tram service between Algonquin and the island, a replication of the Roosevelt Island Tramway. The tram station is located on Main Street, partially overlapped by the southern side of the Algonquin Bridge.
Colony Island is also accessible via Leaper's Bridge, the only road link in and out of the island.
Colony Island is among the best locations for Team Deathmatch in GTA IV, as its size is not too big for 4 player matches, but not too small for 16 player matches. Also, trapping the enemy team in the cemetery on the northernmost part of the island allows for long killing streaks, especially if one's team has superior firepower.
Colony Island's northern cemetery and lighthouse, as viewed to the north.
Colony Island end of the Colony Island Tramway.
Leaper's Bridge, the only road bridge to and from Colony Island.
See also


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Today Beth Bowland and Month9Books are revealing the trailer for POLARIS, which releases August 16, 2016! Check out the gorgeous trailer and enter to win a paperback of the book!!
A quick note from the author:
When I first watched the trailer I was in awe, tears formed in my eyes, and I was frozen in my seat. I tried to say "OMG", but only the "O" came out and "MG" got stuck, because at that moment I watched as my story literally took a breath and came to life.
I had such a great time writing Polaris, it combined my love for creating stories and conspiracy theories. I love "What Ifs" What if there is life on other planets? What if they're really not so different than we are? The big ticket question, what if they're already among us. Polaris takes a quirky but fun spin on an old conspiracy theory, but what if the conspiracy is not a theory…
On to the reveal!
Title: POLARIS
Author: Beth Bowland
Pub. Date: August 16, 2016
Publisher: Tantrum Books
Format: Paperback, eBook
Bixie, Montana is in the middle of nowhere, not connected to any place, and not needed to get to any destination. But one snowy evening, a lone visitor walking down an old country road changes thirteen-year-old Aaron Martin's life forever. Aaron thinks he's being a Good Samaritan by inviting the nearly-frozen visitor into his home, but he's unwittingly initiated "The Game."
A group of Elders, known as the Council of the Legend, come together from time to time to enjoy a rousing event they playfully call "The Game." Now, Aaron's town is the playing board and he and his fellow townspeople are the players.
The rules are simple. Win. Because if Aaron loses, he won't just lose his family. He'll lose his very identity.
Beth Bowland, a native Ohioan, has always enjoyed reading and creating stories of her own. As a child she devoured every book she could get her hands on and spent numerous hours at the library each week. She loves writing stories for tweens and young teens and her characters are often described as quirky and fun, but always relatable. When she's not writing, she loves watching HGTV. She has one daughter and resides in Arlington, Texas with her husband, Phillip.
1 winner will receive a paperback of POLARIS, US Only.


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NEW DELHI (AP) -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have held talks in the Indian capital as part of a renewed effort to strengthen ties between the two countries.
The meeting Tuesday came just weeks after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came to India to lead a strategic dialogue between the nations. The pair of high-profile meetings signal increasing efforts to upgrade bilateral relations as the U.S. lays out its plans to rebalance its foreign policy toward the Asia-Pacific.
Biden's trip will also lay the groundwork for a summit meeting between Singh and President Barack Obama in Washington in September.
The two discussed ways to boost trade and ease bottlenecks preventing American companies from investing in the Indian market.
More from MBTMag.com
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Ex-GM Exec Sees Toyota Role As Sign Of Change
Explore more news here.


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Monday 2 April 2012
Spinach crackers and hummus for a potluck
In an attempt to plan ahead, I had a practice run of spinach crackers and zucchini cake ahead of time. Yet the day of the potluck still found me up early baking cake, making crackers, riding to the supermarket for a last minute purchase, whipping up cream cheese frosting, whizzing up some green hummus, chopping vegies and tidying up, while E kept our dishes and young child under control.
I'd instantly bookmarked the spinach crackers that Angela had posted on Oh She Glows recently. I loved making the green sludge of spinach and water that held together the flour and butter. As with Angela's crackers, the mixture was greener raw than cooked but still retained enough colour to please.
I was also very pleased with my new purchase of French lavender salt (salt, coriander, aniseed, lavender, fennel, chilli pepper, garlic, ginger). It gave amazing depth of flavour to the crackers. They were an instant hit with everyone in the household.
I also made some spinach hummus. It didn't have the brilliant green of Angela's but it was rather tasty so I have included the recipe I used below. In addition to crackers and hummus, I chopped up green vegies and had purchased a few green snacks. We loved the pea snacks from Miaow Miaow - E said they were a bit like cheezels (think flavoured fibreglass!) but greener and tasted more of pea than cheese. The green tea pumpkin seeds were less successful but interesting to try. I bought wasabi peas for others because they are too spicy for me. Lastly I bought a packet of edamame.
Our guests added to the spread of green food. I asked them to bring vegan food as the majority of people I invited were vegan bloggers. Mel of Veganise This! brought along spinach arancini with tofu bacon stuffing - she knows how much I loved tofu bacon. Michael of Where's the Beef not only brought along a spicy but tasty Green Couscous Salad but also wore a green t-shirt with a giraffe on it!
You might notice not all the food was green. I didn't want to be didactic about green as a theme so I left it to bloggers to interpret it. Cakelaw of Laws of the Kitchen took a lateral approach and interpreted it as environmentally green and bought a hearty Cannelini Bean Casserole that complemented the other dishes perfectly.
Dessert also had plenty of interesting flavours and textures. Alexe of Soy and Chocolate (and partner Steven) brought along an impressively high vegan gluten-free chocolate cake with green avocado frosting. Cindy made delicious mint choc chip ice-cream (my favourite flavour as a girl) that astounded us because it was dyed green with spinach. I made a very soft zucchini cake with green cream cheese frosting (post on this to come). Cakelaw made some healthy and berry nice Buckwheat Apple and Berry Muffins. Mel brought along Pistachio Burfi - a lovely soft nutty fudge (not pictured). E loved it even better than most Indian sweets because it wasn't tooth achingly sweet.
It is always a joy to share a meal with bloggers, taste their recipes and meet some new faces. We chewed the fat over Blogger, captcha codes, urls, copyright, travel, recipes and where to buy liquid smoke and edamame in Melbourne. Cindy had kindly brought me a bottle of liquid smoke.
Sylvia was very shy when Cakelaw first arrived but warmed up. She and Dolly had a lovely time entertaining everyone once Sylvia had eaten all the edamame she could. Sylvia slurped her melted ice cream. Dolly beeped. Sylvia sang. Dolly cried when she was hit by another doll. Sylvia threw Dolly to me to catch. Sylvia threw herself to me to catch. Dolly jumped. Sylvia asked why cake need icing (to which Cindy replied with great sweet tooth wisdom why does icing need cake)! She was so enthusiastic about our visitors by the time Mel left last, that Sylvia was begging to go home with her. I was also sad to see everyone go. It has been a good lunch. I hope we might do it again.
I am sending the Spinach Crackers to Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes for her Bookmarked Recipes event.
Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Nut roast renovation: raw and rescued
This time two years ago: Eating by colours – orange burgers
This time three years ago: Marvellous Mars Bar Slice
This time four years ago: Seduced by Strawberries and a Pudding
Spinach crackers with French lavender salt
Adapted from Oh She Glows
Makes about 36 medium crackers or 60 small ones
1 and 1/4 cups wholemeal flour
1 and 1/2 (scant) tsp of french lavender salt
55g vegan margarine (I used Nuttalex)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water
30g baby spinach
Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F) and line three medium baking trays with baking paper or silicone mats.
Place flour and salt into a medium to large bowl and rub in the butter until you have the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Blend water and spinach until smooth and add to the flour mixture. Stir until combined and then knead lightly on a floured surface.
Cut dough in half and roll out one half until quite thin. Cut out shapes or cut into rectangles with a sharp knife and transfer shapes/rectangles to prepared trays. Prick with a fork (or I found that they develop air pockets in the oven). Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake until lightly browned and dried. Angela suggested 9-10 minutes. They took 12-14 minutes in my oven which is not very powerful. A few got quite brown and were quite crispy rather than slightly chewy. Cool on a wire rack. Ours have only kept a few days.
Spinach Hummus
Adapted from here
2 spring onions
1 handful of parsley (thanks mum)
2 garlic cloves
85g baby spinach
2 tins of 400g chickpeas, rinsed and drained
juice of 1 small to med lemon and 1 lime
1 tsp French lavender salt
3 heaped dessertspoons of tahini
dash of cayenne
about 1/4 cup olive oil (or two very generous splashes)
Process the spring onions, parsley and garlic until finely chopped. My food processor couldn't cope so I finally took it out and finely chopped it. I returned it to food processor and added remaining ingredients. Puree. Check seasoning and adjust until the flavours were balanced nicely. Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a week or two.
On the stereo:
Sleeping Beauty - 23 Alltime Favourite Songs & Stories: Jack in the Box
21 comments:
Thanks for organising the potluck Johanna, it was great to see you and your family again and meet up with others too. I really enjoyed your crackers and the hummus, I might give the hummus a try one day.
I hope to get a post up about it soon, have had such a busy week so far! I didn't realise Sylvia wanted to come home with me, she is so adorable and highly entertaining!Oh my gosh, that salt is herbs as well as lavender? Be still my heart! :) What a gorgeous, gorgeous spread! Green was my favourite colour as a child (which doesn't mean it's been replaced; more that I don't really think about having a favourite colour any more). I so hope the pistachio burfi recipe comes out soon. That's my kind of treat!
ReplyDeleteRepliesThanks Hannah - the salt is amazing - I want to have it on everything at the moment! Of course I thought you would love green - my favourite was purple as a kid but I went through a phase of loving green as a student and never got over it :-) The pistachio burfi was indeed amazing and I am looking forward to that recipe too
Thanks for organising this potluck and inviting me - I had a great time! Sylvia was absolutely adorable. The crackers you made were so cute - definitely a keeper.
ReplyDeleteJohanna - thank you so much for hosting! I loved all those crunchy green snacks, when it comes to savoury food I am a snacker at heart. :-)
ReplyDeleteI can't thank you enough Johanna for organising this potluck and for inviting Steven and me! I had such a good time tasting all of the delicious food and meeting everyone! I definitely hope we can meet again soon! :)
ReplyDelete- Natasha6 April 2012 at 15:03
I love your blog Johanna..it always feels so warm and homely. Am making hummus for Sunday lunch have now decided to give your Green version a go. Have a lovely Easter :)
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(CNN) -- "Listen, listen to this!" shouts Fida Qishta as the crackling of rockets is heard over her phone receiver.
Moussa El-Haddad, a physician in Gaza, talks to his daughter in his powerless living room.
"It's difficult for anybody to imagine that in a second, maybe when I am talking to you on the phone, maybe something [will] happen to me or to my family," the Palestinian blogger told CNN from her home in Gaza.
She has gotten little sleep during the past 10 days as Israel continues its attacks on her homeland, attacks the Jewish state says are designed to stop months of rocket strikes on southern Israel by Hamas militants in Gaza.
Qishta writes furiously, hoping to convey the horror she sees. "The Israeli army are cannibals. They don't look for civilians, for children or women. Most attacks happen on families, on their houses," she said, her voice rising in anger.
For what Qishta cannot put into words, there are agonizing photographs: Bloody Palestinian children, their skin burned, lie limp in their helpless parents' arms. Hospitals, filled to capacity, redefine chaos as much-needed medical supplies are stalled a short distance away at the blocked border with Egypt.
At one hospital, a man bows his head and cries. He rests his hand over the bellies of his two toddler relatives. They look uninjured; their eyes are shut. They were both killed Monday.
They are the faces of a Palestinian death toll that has surpassed 500.
"There's always two sides to every story," said Dov Hartuv, who lives close to the southern border in Israel's Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which he says has been hit by Hamas rockets in the past. Israel has said its campaign is aimed at stopping Hamas rockets from terrorizing its own civilians.
Asked about Fida Qishta's strong comments, Hartuv said it's hard not to react.
"But I am not going to argue with her," he said. "We are in the eye of the storm just as she is."
At the Egyptian border, Antar Mahmood stands and waits. At his feet are drums of cooking oil, food and a heavy bag of supplies he is trying to take to his family. He says his house was flattened by the Israeli airstrikes. Watch report from Gaza's border with Egypt »
But Israeli and Egyptian guards aren't letting anything or anyone get through this part of the Gaza border.
"I just called home and asked what happened, and they said your son Mohammed has been wounded," he said. "He's alive, but he's wounded."
In Israel, where four civilians and one soldier have been killed since the attack on Gaza began, Israelis have been gathering every morning on a southern hilltop to watch Apache helicopters. Nearby, reporters who have been banned from entering Gaza set up tripods and position their long lenses.
"It is somewhat surreal to be standing on grassy hillsides with Israeli civilians sitting in chairs, watching the ongoing Israeli military offensive," Dion Nissenbaum, a McClatchy Newspapers Middle East correspondent, said in an e-mail to CNN.
"They don't seem to be bothered by the occasional Qassam rockets and mortar rounds that explode in the surrounding fields," Nissenbaum wrote in his blog, Checkpoint Jerusalem. "They have come to watch the war."
Dov Hartuv, who describes himself as a fatalist, said he has a fortified safe room in his home.
"I'm not really afraid for myself. What will happen will happen," he said. "But it certainly is very frightening and nerve-wracking to live under these conditions, and I'm sure everyone is affected by it. ... We think about people on our side and on the other side who are suffering and hope that it will end as quickly as possible."
From her part-time home in Durham, North Carolina, Palestinian mother and blogger Laila El-Haddad is constantly talking to her father in Gaza. Cell phone coverage is spotty, but the two manage to video conference using Skype.
"I'm thinking about my family all the time," she said. "I have lived through Israeli bombardments in the past, but this is much fiercer than anything ever before."
A few years ago, during air raids by Israeli jets over northern Gaza, she was living with her son in Gaza City.
She tried to tell the 2-year-old that it was just popcorn popping outside. He replied, "I don't like that kind of popcorn."
Even today, in the quiet of an American suburb, the boy still cannot sleep through the night.
"He remembers the shelling and gets up and crawls into bed with me," she said. iReport.com: Share reactions to "all-out war" in Gaza
Her father, Moussa El-Haddad, is a physician who volunteered Monday at Gaza's Shifa Hospital. On Sunday, a Norwegian doctor at Shifa told reporters that the facility was overwhelmed with so many "patients lying everywhere" that they were dying before doctors had a chance to get to them.
Moussa El-Haddad says that after dealing with death at work, he comes home to robo-calls: "Urgent message: Warning to the citizens of Gaza. Hamas is using you as human shields. Do not listen to them. Hamas has abandoned you and are hiding in their shelters. Give up now."
His daughter said he hangs up in disgust every time.
To ease the dark mood, Laila El-Haddad asked her father how his exotic pet bird is faring through the airstrikes.
"My dad has got a sense of humor," she said. "He told me that it used to go 'chirp, chirp,' but now it goes 'boom, boom.' "
CNN's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report.


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Following a phone call from Bono to Michael Eavis this morning, we're extremely sorry to report that U2 will not be able to perform their headline slot at this year's Glastonbury Festival. This is due to the serious back injury which Bono sustained last week and the subsequent medical advice he has received.
Said Bono: "I'm heartbroken. We really wanted to be there to do something really special – we even wrote a song especially for the Festival."
Said Michael Eavis: "It was obvious from our telephone conversation that U2 are hugely disappointed. Clearly, they were looking forward to playing the Pyramid Stage as much as we were looking forward to watching them. At this point, we have no comment to make about possible replacements for U2's Friday night slot. Instead, we would simply like to send Bono our very best wishes for a full and speedy recovery."


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What Happy Families Know:
- Boat-to-Table Fishing CSAs Catching On
- Share
Boat-to-Table Fishing CSAs Catching On
Do you know who your fisherman is?
Fishing communities from Maine to California are working together to save their
way of life and restore marine resources by establishing direct markets between fishermen and the people who eat their catch.
Several years ago, concerns about dwindling worldwide fish stocks prompted federal regulators to limit how much fish can be caught in U.S. waters, but the measures don't regulate who catches the fish. Small-scale fishermen in the North Atlantic region were hit particularly hard by regulations, because they were competing in the global market with domestic and international industrial-scale factory fleets and aquaculture companies.
Factory fleets can process and freeze large quantities of fish while still at sea, giving them a big advantage over smaller fishermen.
"All of a sudden everybody got out, and those of us who stayed didn't have anywhere or anyone
to sell to," says Gary Libby, a fisherman based in Port Clyde, Maine.
"The old model of catching as much as you could just wasn't working any longer," says Libby's
wife, Kim. Inspired by fishermen in North Carolina, who sell directly to the public off their boats, she started the first CSF, or Community Supported Fishery, from their home in Port
Clyde in 2007.
CSF shareholders pay up front for a share of the catch. Most CSFs deliver whole fish in
season, so customers experience variety and seasonality. Fishermen are paid a flat rate
per season, rather than being paid only for the number of fish they catch. This encourages them to diversify their catch and fish according to the demands of the ecosystem, rather than to
maximize sales.
According to the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), which works on policy
to support small-scale fishing, nearly 20 other communities across North America have been
inspired by the Port Clyde experience to start their own CSFs.
"It makes people feel good to know their fisherman," Libby remarks. He says no one left in
the small-boat community-based fishing business in New England is in it for the money. "Bringing a high-quality product to consumers they wouldn't ordinarily have is the real reward."


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The Sloop Woody Guthrie
The Woody Guthrie, a replica of the popular gaff-rigged Hudson River sloop from days of yore, has since 1978 been in service to the public in the form of free rides and education five weekday evenings a week. Pete Seeger had the Woody built to support the mission of the larger Hudson River sloop replica, the Clearwater, built ten years before the Woody to promote the clean-up of the Hudson River and to keep the river open and accessible to all people. From its launch date in 1978, the Woody has given thousands of people their first experience on a sailboat and their first experience of beauties of the river and the surrounding mountains from the vantage point of the river. The guests are given information concerning the history of the river, the boat they are sitting in, the mission progress being made, and are asked to help us in our mission in any way they can.


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UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who opened their hearts and pocketbooks this holiday season, we've sent $28 million in gifts to more than 200 charities reaching 4 million disadvantaged children and their families in 2013. In 20 years, the Today Show Charitable Foundation through the Toy Drive has distributed $363 million in donations.
Thank you to everyone who contributed — so many families will have a more joyous holiday because of your generosity. See more about the generosity of one of our biggest donors, Thirty One Gifts, giving back to their local Boys & Girls Club.
TODAY has kicked off our Holiday Toy and Gift Drive – and this year we're celebrating 20 years of giving.
Since 1994, we've distributed more than $335 million in donations, helping more than 3 million underprivileged children, to more than 200 organizations across America and to U.S. military bases abroad
How do you donate?
Come down to the TODAY plaza if you're near New York City — celebrity "elves" collect toys daily during the broadcast. (If you arrive after 10 a.m. ET, drop off your gift at the Rockefeller Center NBC Experience Store, in the special TODAY Toy Drive bin.)
Celebrity "elves" will start collecting on Dec. 2. Celebs who have helped in past years include George Clooney, Jon Hamm, Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, former Vice President Al Gore and Olympian Michael Phelps. Who knows who will be wearing the Santa hat when you visit?
You can also donate online at Amazon.com/TODAY. Click the Amazon link, add as many items as you like to your cart, complete the checkout, and Amazon will do the rest.
If you're interested in making a contribution in a different way, please email email@example.com or call (212) 664-7508.
All donations are appreciated, no matter how big or small. We are most in need of toys for boys of all ages, and tweens and teens up to age 18.
Why this cause?
Every 29 seconds, a child in the United States is born into poverty, with limited access to food, medical care and basic human services. For many, TODAY is their ONLY source of gifts for the holidays. There will be no toys this holiday season for these children unless you choose to help.
The program is designed to provide gifts and essentials for impoverished children and teenagers up to age 18 nationwide. It has also expanded to include gifts that children are able to give their parents, because giving provides joy in itself.
These items go to millions of kids in all 50 states. Recipients include homeless shelters, children's group homes, schools, foster family services, domestic abuse shelters, Native American missions, military bases, hospitals, preschools, after-school programs, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Last year, Natalie Morales helped the children at New York's Graham Windham wrap donated gifts for its annual party. Read more about some of the participating organizations in our Charity Spotlight series.
The smallest gift can mean the world to a child in need. As you celebrate with your family, take a moment to let these children know they're loved.
More on the Toy Drive:
The TODAY Show Toy Drive is a project of the TODAY Show Charitable Foundation, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent the law allows. In 2010, it was awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Foundation Philanthropy Award, and, in 2008, it was honored with a President's Volunteer Service Award.
Let's work together in making our 20th Anniversary Toy Drive the most successful ever. It comes at a time of great need.
2013 Donors:
Our sincere thanks go to the following organizations for their generous contributions:
Thirty-One Gifts, Mary Kay, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Direct Selling Association, PartyLite Gifts, DK Publishing, Lego, Initials Inc., Stampin' Up!, Music Together, Avon, Abrams Books, The Southwestern Company, Oral-B® Professional™, Tupperware, Jakks Pacific, Inc., Amazon.com,HomeGoods, Kohl's Department Store, Arbonne, Cheerios, Stride Rite, TOMY, Random House, Shaklee,Cutco, Senegence, Signet Jewelers, Gund, Goody, Toy Industry Foundation, Hillshire Brands, UPPAbaby, Clever Container, Hasbro, Amway, lia sophia, Caboodles, B'nai B'rith International, Bananagrams, Jewel Kade, Bona Clara, Udderly Smooth, Living Fresh Collection, Great American Opportunities, All Dazzle,DeTech, Hard Rock International, Radio Flyer, Team National, Vantel Pearls, Cartamundi USA, Children of America Dolls, Creations By You, Do-a-Dot Art, Green Toys, Griddly Games, International Arrivals, International Playthings, Little Pim, McNeill Designs, Orb Factory, Safari Ltd., Savvi, Schleich USA, Smart Gear, Smart Toys and Games, ThinkFun, Ukloo Kids, VTech, WowWee USA, Wyla, Inc.,


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Geomagnetic Storms
Have you ever been in a storm here on Earth? Sometimes during storms we are familiar with, it rains, it lightnings and it gets really windy. There are other storms that happen too. They are called geomagnetic storms. "Geo" means the storms affect the Earth and "magnetic" means that they are magnetic storms (instead of rain or thunderstorms).Basically, the Sun's magnetic field causes storms in our magnetic field. We need to understand these storms because sometimes they can have a bad effect on life here on Earth. Geomagnetic storms can affect radio communication, satellite drag, auroral activity and even the safety of astronauts in Earth orbit.
Last modified March 29, 2010 by Randy Russell.


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2012 Scores
Status: Not Free
Freedom Rating: 5.5
Civil Liberties: 5
Political Rights: 6
Fearing a popular uprising similar to the Arab Spring movements sweeping the region, the Algerian government made a number of political and economic concessions in early 2011 to calm discontent. While the government also promised reforms to the constitution, the electoral law, and laws governing the media, real progress was slow to materialize, due in part to concerns about increasing extremist violence.
Algeria secured independence from France after a guerrilla war that lasted from 1954 to 1962. The military overthrew the country's first president in 1965 and dominated Algerian politics for the next four decades, backing the National Liberation Front (FLN) for most of that time. President Chadli Benjedid permitted the establishment of legal opposition parties in 1989, and an Islamist movement quickly gained popularity in the face of the government's failures; the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) became the main opposition faction. With the FIS poised to win parliamentary elections in 1992, the army canceled the elections, forced Benjedid from office, and imprisoned thousands of FIS supporters under a declared state of emergency.
Over the next decade, the military government and various Islamist groups engaged in a bloody civil conflict. All sides targeted civilians and perpetrated large-scale human rights abuses, causing an estimated 200,000 deaths and the disappearance of at least 7,000 people.
A military-backed candidate, former foreign minister Abdelaziz Bouteflika, easily won the 1999 presidential election after his opponents withdrew to protest alleged fraud. Bouteflika's first attempt at resolving the civil war was the Civil Concord Law, which granted partial amnesty to combatants who renounced violence. A few thousand militants surrendered, but the more uncompromising groups – including what later became Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – continued to kill government personnel and civilians. The next several years saw occasional outbursts of violence, and the government continued to commit human rights abuses.
The ruling FLN gained ground against the military-backed National Democratic Rally (RND) in the 2002 and 2003 elections to the lower and upper houses of Parliament, respectively, while Bouteflika, who began to distance himself from the military, won a second term in 2004. In 2005, a referendum approved the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which offered amnesty to most militants and government agents for crimes committed during the civil war. However, human rights organizations criticized the charter for not addressing the issue of the disappeared and for allowing perpetrators to escape justice.
In May 2007 lower house elections, the FLN lost 63 seats, though it remained the largest party, with 136. The RND came in second, with 61 seats, followed by the Islamist-oriented Movement of the Society of Peace (MSP), with 52, and independent candidates, who claimed 33. The FLN and RND also placed first and second, respectively, in indirect elections for the upper house in December 2009.
Bouteflika won a third term in an April 2009 election, taking about 90 percent of the vote amid widespread accusations of fraud. After the election, reports that the ailing Bouteflika would be succeeded by his younger brother met with opposition from the intelligence services, particularly General Mohamed "Toufik" Mediène, the powerful head of the Department of Intelligence and Security. In January 2010, Mediène launched a corruption investigation into the state-owned oil and gas company Sonatrach, which was responsible for 98 percent of Algeria's foreign exchange and 40 percent of its gross domestic product. Bouteflika allies at Sonatrach were indicted for corruption and later jailed; the president also lost two key supporters in a May cabinet shuffle. Some observers interpreted the February 2010 murder of the head of Algeria's national police, Ali Tounsi, as part of the ongoing power struggle.
In early 2011, the Algerian government remained firmly in control as political change gripped its Arab neighbors. Protests over high unemployment, rising prices, and the lack of political freedoms failed to attract crowds beyond a few thousand, and were violently subdued by the police. The government quickly introduced new subsidies and wage increases to head off a more widespread uprising. It also lifted the country's long-standing emergency law in February and promised reforms to the constitution and political party laws before parliamentary polls in May 2012. Meanwhile, AQIM attacks increased starting in April, heightening concerns over security. Some analysts said that a desire for stability among a population weary of conflict after years of civil war – along with the government's ability to draw on its oil wealth to appease economic grievances – made an uprising similar to those in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya less likely in Algeria.
In August, Algeria took in several members of deposed Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi's family who had fled the conflict in their home country.
Political Rights and Civil Liberties
Algeria is not an electoral democracy. The military and intelligence services still play an important role in politics despite their ongoing rivalries with the political establishment. The People's National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, has 389 members directly elected for five-year terms. The upper house, the National Council, has 144 members serving six-year terms; 96 members are chosen by local assemblies, and the president appoints the remaining 48. The president is directly elected for five-year terms, and constitutional amendments passed in 2008 abolished the two-term limit, allowing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a third term in 2009. The amendments also increased the president's powers relative to the premiership and other entities, drawing criticism from segments of the press and opposition parties.
The Ministry of the Interior must approve political parties before they can operate legally. A coalition of the FLN, RND, and MSP forms the current government. While there are dozens of active political parties, movements that are deemed too radically Islamist are outlawed, and many of the Islamist groups that were banned in the 1990s remain illegal. As the next round of parliamentary elections approaches, debates have reopened over whether exiled Islamists, such as former FIS leader Anwar Haddam, should be allowed to return to Algeria. In September 2011, Haddam announced plans to return to the country, though he officially remained an outlaw.
High levels of corruption plague Algeria's business and public sectors, especially the energy sector. Sonatrach has come under particularly heavy fire in recent years; after being dismissed and arrested for corruption in 2010, its former chief executive officer, Mohamed Meziane, was sentenced to two years in prison in May 2011. Algeria was ranked 112 out of 183 countries surveyed in Transparency International's 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index.
There is an array of restrictions on press freedom, but the situation has improved since the peak of the civil war in the mid-1990s. Privately owned newspapers have been published for nearly two decades, and journalists have been aggressive in their coverage of government affairs. However, most newspapers rely on the central government for printing, giving the state a high degree of influence over them. Also, the state-owned advertising agency favors progovernment newspapers, encouraging self-censorship. Arabic- and French-language satellite channels are popular, though the government maintains tight control over national news broadcasts. Both government officials and private entities use criminal defamation laws to pressure independent newspapers. Harassment of journalists continued in 2011, especially during the protests. In September 2011, Bouteflika announced proposed reforms that would lift state regulation of television and radio, and end the practice of imprisoning individual journalists convicted of libel. A new press law adopted in December 2011 was criticized by journalists and human rights activists for containing vague language that reinforces the government's ability to block reporting on certain sensitive topics, including those deemed to undermine the country's security or economic interests.
A July 2009 cybercrime law gives authorities the right to block websites "contrary to the public order or decency." In late 2009, the information minister announced a centralized system for monitoring internet traffic. In February 2011, amid protests against the regime, activists in Algiers and the northwestern city of Annaba accused the government of shutting down the internet and disrupting social networking activities.
Algeria's population is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, and small non-Muslim communities do not face systematic harassment. However, non-Muslims may gather to worship only at state-approved locations, proselytizing by non-Muslims is illegal, and the government in 2008 began enforcing an ordinance that tightened restrictions on minority faiths. In May 2011, an Oran court sentenced a Christian convert to five years in prison for offending the prophet Muhammad. Also that month, the governor of Bejaia province ordered all churches in the province to be shut down, part of an ongoing legal dispute over possession of a church building in the region. Security services monitor mosques for radical Islamist activity, but Muslims are also sometimes harassed for a perceived lack of piety. Academic freedom is largely respected, though debate is somewhat circumscribed.
The police disperse peaceful assemblies, and the government generally discourages demonstrations featuring clear or implicit criticism of the authorities. As protests deposed other leaders in the region in 2011, the government forcibly disrupted public gatherings and protests, even after repealing the emergency law in February. Several people died and hundreds more were injured in clashes between the police and demonstrators.
Permits are required to establish nongovernmental organizations, and those with Islamist leanings are regarded with suspicion by the government. Workers can establish independent trade unions, but the main labor federation, the General Union of Algerian Workers, has been criticized for being too close to the government and failing to advocate aggressively for workers' interests.
The judiciary is susceptible to government pressure. International human rights activists have accused the security forces of practicing torture. In January 2011, Algerian national Saeed Farhi bin Mohammed was sent home from the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mohammed had fought the transfer, saying he feared being targeted by the regime upon his return. This was the second such transfer to Algeria in less than a year. Prison conditions in Algeria generally do not meet international standards due to overcrowding and poor nutrition and hygiene.
Algeria's ethnic composition is a mixture of Arabs and Berbers, with Arabs traditionally forming the country's elite. In recent years, following outbreaks of antigovernment violence in the Berber community, officials have made more of an effort to recognize Berber cultural demands. Tamazight, the Berber language, is now a national language. However, Berbers were not beyond the reach of government repression during protests in early 2011.
While most citizens are free to move throughout the country and travel abroad, the authorities closely monitor and limit the movement of suspected terrorists. Access to visas for non-Algerians is carefully controlled. Men of military draft age are not allowed to leave the country without government consent.
Women continue to face discrimination at both the legal and societal levels. Under the family code, which is based on Islamic law, women do not enjoy equal rights in marriage, divorce, and inheritance. They are poorly represented in Parliament, holding only 5.2 percent of the upper house and 7.7 percent of the lower house. A law requiring that female candidates comprise one-third of any candidate list for legislative elections was adopted in November 2011. However, Algeria is one of the few countries in the region to allow women to transfer their nationality to their children, regardless of the father's nationality. A law adopted in January 2009 criminalized all forms of trafficking in persons, but the government has made little effort to enforce it, according to the U.S. State Department's 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report.
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